Awkward Silence
by Ahmee
Summary: A Sequel To One Night Stands And Serious Repercussions. Rory and Jess must figure out where they go from here now that all of their secrets have been revealed. Will they go back to being just friends or will they beocme something much more?


Ok Long Awaited update: I'm not sure if this will be any good—but One Night Stands And Serious Repercussions—has always been my favorite fanfiction that I've done, which is probably why it was only 5 chapters rather than my 20 odd chapter long fan fictions I usually do. Anyway I hope you give it a chance and thanks for all the nice reviews in the past.

Only a few hours had passed since Jess had opened the door of his broken down New York apartment and asked Rory not to go.

For a while after that, they sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee, waiting for a pepperoni pizza to arrive, immersed in conversation. But the conversation, much like the pizza they shared, quickly dispersed. After they ran out of books to discuss, songs to quote and finally friendly banter, awkward silence permeated the space shared by two old friends.

As hard as they tried to ignore it, neither Rory nor Jess could deny that things between them had changed dramatically in the last 72 hours. So many questions go through their minds as they sit opposite each other, praying for something, anything to interrupt the silence between them. Where do they to go from here? Pick up where they left off? Impossible—they're both completely different people than they were a week ago. So much hurt placed upon each other, tears shed and secrets revealed, none of which can be taken back have turned them into adults overnight, no longer adolescents secretly pining for one another Should they start brand new? That's the only option. But one question remains unanswered, what will this brand new start be? A Friendship, a relationship ship? How can they go from being best friends to lovers, back to friends again? Do they want to go back?

The silence is crippling, finally with a quiet sigh, Jess removes himself from the table, "I, um, I'm going to take a shower."

Rory simply nods.

Jess scratches his head, watching her avoid his gaze, "There's, food in the fridge, cereal in the cabinet, tv is over there, feel free to do, uh whatever."

Rory nods again, "Ok." She replies quietly

Jess walks towards the bathroom, turning on his heels he says hoarsely, "The phone is by the couch, maybe you should call Lorelai let her know you're here."

"Yeah, you're right." Rory replies, biting her bottom lip. She waits fro Jess to disappear into the bathroom before taking her cell phone out of her purse.

It rings three times.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom." Rory says, with attempted energy.

"Rory!" Lorelai exclaims. "Are you in New York? Did a talent scout spot you on the street and ask you to be a model, have you joined the rockettes yet?"

"No, not yet, they put me on the waiting list."

Lorelai giggles, "But you're there, you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rory says with a sigh.

"Where are you?"

"Jess' apartment."

"He has an apartment there already?"

"Well its an apartment he's sharing with a friend."

"Oh.....so did you find Jess?"

"Yeah he's here, well he's not here right now he's in the shower but he's here."

Lorelai lowers her voice, "And how are things, I mean how are you guys."

"We're ok, I guess. We had pizza and coffee and talked about books."

"Ah good just like old times." Lorelai replies cheerfully.

".....and then we stared blankly at each other for a half hour until he decided to take a shower."

"Oh babe, I'm sorry."

"Yeah well I don't know what I was expecting anyway." Rory replies.

Caught up in confiding in her mother, the opening of the bathroom door goes unnoticed by Rory.

Jess stands in the doorway, quietly watching as Rory, with her back turned to him relays the evening's events to her mother. Leaning against the doorframe, he pulls at the shirt that is clinging to his moist chest.

"I mean, I just don't know mom. I want things to be ok with us, I want to believe that the awkwardness is going to pass but I just don't know. Maybe too much has changed." Rory says shakily, rubbing her hand against her forehead.

Jess runs a hand through his wave hair, watching Rory crumple onto the couch, a grim expression appears on his face.

"Yeah I know. And I appreciate that. I guess we'll just have to see." Rory sighs, "I don't know its still early I might try and catch the bus back. Yeah I'll call you when I know what's going on."

Jess quietly retreats into the bathroom as Rory raps up her phone call.

"Love you too, bye mom."

Jess waits a full minute after he hears Rory put the phone down to exit the bathroom.

"Hey." He says gruffly.

Rory remains quiet for moment, and then as if she is prepping herself to speak, she takes a breath and replies, "Oh hey, you're done fast."

"Yeah well....."

Rory just nods, avoiding his eyes.

Jess can tell she was crying.

"So" Jess says, adjusting his shirt as he approaches her. "I was thinking its almost 9 and the bus station is like 15 blocks from here, and I would feel much better if you weren't sitting on a bus at night sitting next to some guy with a beer gut named Gus."

Rory looks up at him with confusion.

"So why don't you just stay here for tonight?" Jess watches Rory as she considers his offer, he doesn't know if it's a good idea to have her stay the night, but he knows he can't let her go home, not like this.

"Alright." Rory says meekly.

"I know this place is kind of a dump, but what can you expect with rent control right?" Jess attempts to laugh but fails.

Rory smiles momentarily.

"Anyway, I never gave you the proper tour." Jess replies with a weak smirk.

Jess puts his hand out for Rory, reluctantly she takes it.

He spins her towards the kitchen, "That corner there with the refrigerator and table is the kitchen, to the left you'll see the single bathroom with you're state of the art all in one bath and shower. Over here is the living room complete with 15 year old couch and second hand tv. The room on the right is Matt's room, and right next to it is mine." Jess walks over to his room and flicks on the light, revealing a meager bed a night stand and several boxes pilled on top of each other.

"I haven't gotten around to unpacking yet."

"It's nice."

Jess turns to her, "I figure you can sleep in here tonight and I'll take the couch."

"Oh Jess, you don't have to do that."

Jess shrugs, "There about the same comfort wise Rory, I just figure you might want to have a door, another hour or so and Matt will reappear and you know there's nothing of me he hasn't seen and vice versa but you know I guess maybe you'd want some extra privacy."

"Thanks Jess." Rory says, solemnly

Jess smiles at her.

"Rory."

"Yeah?"

"I, uh. I'm glad you're here."

Rory looks up at jess. Is he nervous?

"Really?"

"Yeah, I am."

Rory studies his face for a moment before speaking, "Jess, I think we need to talk."

Jess nods, "I know."

"Ok, so maybe we should sit down."

Jess shakes his head, "No."

"Ok....."

"I mean, we have to talk, God there's no doubt about that. But not here and not now."

"But Jess—"

"Look Rory, we've both been through a lot in the last few days, I don't know about you but I haven't gotten any sleep in 48 hours."

"Not a wink." Rory replies.

Jess leads Rory over to the couch, they sit.

"My point is, I think we should just stop for tonight. Put a movie on and then sleep it off, we can talk all we want in the morning. If we do it now when we're both barely standing and our minds aren't clear we're just going to argue ourselves into a corner—and it never end and it will make everything worse than it already is now. Right now things are weird and undecided—but we'll get through it, but if we start trying to work on it now, one of us probably me is going to say something to screw it up and you'll be on you're way back to Stars Hollow before the sun comes up."

"Wow." Rory squeaks.

"I went off, I know I'm sorry. See what I'm talking about."

Rory nods, "You've thought about this a lot."

"Well you know I had a lot of quiet time tonight."

"Yeah."

"Ror, I know the same thoughts are going through your head, and like you I don't have the answers. I don't know what's going to happen to us now."

Tears well up in Rory's eyes.

Jess brushes them away with the back of his hand, "Don't, not tonight." He whispers.

Rory shivers at his touch.

"Lets just be here tonight, suppress everything-- feelings, thoughts, just everything."

"I, I don't think it works that way."

"Who makes up these rules? Of course it does, it can work any way we want it to as long as we both agree to adhere to it."

"Jess I don't know....."

"You don't have to, Rory we'll work it all out tomorrow. Tonight lets put on a movie, pop some popcorn and jut lay on the couch. We'll put our hearts and minds to rest for one night and in the morning we'll figure it all out."

Rory smiles, feebly, "Alright."

"Ok, first things first you're going to need some pajamas."

"I'm fine, really." Rory replies as jess disappears into his room.

"Here." He tosses her an old t-shirt and pair of sweat pants.

"Thanks."

"You change, and I'll get some snacks---that's the thing you're going to love about Matt, he's almost as big of a junk food fiend as you are, he's got to have something good in here."

Rory laughs, "I'll be out in a minute."

5 minutes later:

Rory emerges from the bathroom, dressed in jess' clothes, her face red from a powerful scrubbing.

"Hey" Jess calls from the couch. "I'm just fast forwarding through the commercials."

"What'd you put on?"

"Empire Records—I figured something you didn't need to think about was probably our best bet."

"Agreed."

"Come sit." Jess motions for Rory to join him. "There's a blanket on the chair if you're cold.

Rory settles in next to Jess.

He watches as she shovels popcorn and nestle crunch pieces into her mouth.

Unconsciously, He places an arm around her huddled form.

Rory pulls the blanket up to her chest offer jess some.

He shakes his head at her, she looks up at him, and leaning her head against his chest she offers the blanket again, "Take it." She says in a gruff voice worthy of Luke Danes himself.

Jess smirks, taking the blanket; he pulls Rory closer to him. Tonight they are clinging to one another, clinging to the remains of their old relationship and at the same time laying the foundation for their new one.

Tonight was filled with awkward silences and sideway glances. Tomorrow will be too, but some day soon these two old friends will become something more and the silences will cease to exist.

A/N Ok So I know this was probably a very angsty serious chapter but I'm just starting and thought that since the last story kind of was built around a little bit darker setting I'd start this one of that way and take it from there read and review.


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